There have been numerous proposals over the years for monitoring and controlling the use of a wide variety of facilities without need for supervision by paid attendants. The following U.S. patents show such examples of devices as employed to control the use of electrical appliances: Lipp et al, No. 1,988,963; Seeburg, No. 2,038,963; Stark, No. 2,106,042; and Greenwold, No. 3,756,366.
Automatic devices actuated by the insertion of coins to control supervisory programmers for tennis playing equipment are disclosed by Mott U.S. Pat. No. 2,632,546; Rodwell et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,370; and Petrini et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,764.
The following U.S. patents disclose automatic coin operated devices for monitoring dry cleaning operations: Stone et al, No. 3,168,178; New, No. 3,191,738; and Kinoshita, No. 3,792,764.
Automated coin operated devices for supervising a vehicle parking facility are disclosed in: Wilcox, U.S. Pat. No. 3,370,686; Selby, U.S. Pat. No. 3,757,916; Singer, U.S. Pat. No. 3,815,718; and Malott, U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,991. Coin controlled devices for room facilities are shown in Rezazadeh, U.S. Pat. No. 3,923,134; and Vinet, U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,231.
Of the above patents, only Petrini, 4,139,764 has control apparatus responsive to the insertion of an item other than coins or tokens; instead Petrini inserts a specially constructed card bearing a concealed code which, if recognised by a monitoring device, functions solely to display a notice that the facility is in authorized use.
Control devices exemplified in the above listed patents and others have many shortcomings and disadvantages including complexity of the mechanical components, high initial and maintenance expense, need for quantities of coins of particular denominations to initiate operation, unsuitability for handling operations costing larger amounts, need for accessibility to currency changers or to cashiers to make change, and lack suitable means safeguarding attempts by third parties to gain access to the controlled facilities while in use. A particularly serious shortcoming is lack of a programming device actuable by currency or the like type of plaque possessed by persons authorized to use the facility.